Veggie-Go's: REVIEW

My four kids can EAT. And when Audrey and Georgia get home from school, they are hungry! Of course, if somebody's eating, they all want a snack. So I am always on the lookout for healthy options that are fun and yummy. We often have apples and peanut butter, or cheese and crackers.

I was recently introduced to a new snack, called "Veggie-Go's." Basically, they are a fruit leather-type snack, made from all-natural ingredients, fruits, vegetables, and spices. There are five unique flavor combinations:

Mountain Berry Spinach
Cinnamon-Spiced Beet
Mulled Wine
Carrot Ginger
Sweet Potato Pie


While Joel was napping, the girls and I sat down for a taste test. Everyone was in agreement that they loved the Mountain Berry Spinach. Very yummy! There was a little disagreement in the order of next yummiest, but we all liked the Mulled Wine and Cinnamon-Spiced Beet. I thought Sweet Potato Pie was pretty good, with its chunks of pecans, but Georgia doesn't like sweet potatoes, so that was a no-go for her. None of us were fans of the Carrot Ginger. The ginger was very strong, so if you love ginger, it's the flavor for you!

Veggie-Go's are available at local specialty food stores in the Boulder, CO area, or you can order them online. They retail for $1.49 each, or you can buy a multi-pack. Veggie-Go's are made by a company called The Naked Edge. Find them on facebook, or follow them on Twitter.

Aussan Naturals: REVIEW

I like to feed my family lots of healthy fruits and vegetables. It is not within our budget to buy only organic produce, but I do try to buy organic when I'm choosing something that's on the "dirty dozen" list. I'm fortunate to shop at a grocery store that has a wide variety of natural and organic foods. But even so, sometimes the produce I would like to buy is not available in organic. For example, last week conventional strawberries were buy one get one free. There were so many strawberries that there wasn't any space for the organic ones!

So that's why I was happy to try out Aussan Naturals products. Among many natural cleaning and household products, Aussan Naturals offers a fresh fruit and vegetable wash. From their website:

Spray firm produce, such as apples, bell peppers and tomatoes with a generous amount of Aussan Natural™. Allow product to sit a few seconds, then rub well, rinse, & eat. For softer produce, such as lettuce, berries and broccoli, place in a colander & spray generously with Aussan Natural™. Allow product to sit a few seconds, then rinse & enjoy. Leaves no residue or aftertaste!

It is 100% natural and non-toxic. I like that it is getting my produce cleaner than using water alone, and there really is no aftertaste.

I also had the opportunity to try out their all-purpose cleaner. For a few years now, I have only used natural cleaners in the kitchen. I like them because they work well but are healthier for my family. I know, I could just use vinegar and baking soda, but I really hate how vinegar smells. So I choose to spend a little more for a nicer scent. Aussan Natural has a very subtle scent. Nice!

I was provided with a free bottle of both Fruit and Vegetable Cleaner and All-Purpose Cleaner to facilitate my review. No other compensation was provided. All opinions are my own. All product information comes from the product website.

Review: Clue: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Edition

Who has seen the new Harry Potter movie? We haven't yet, but we are big Harry Potter fans. Audrey is only nine, so I have just let her read the first three books in the series so far. Georgia will probably read the first one this year, too.

We play a lot of games in our house, so that's why we were so excited to be able to try out Clue: Harry Potter Edition. Clue is one of my favorite kids' games, and this one did not disappoint. It is set in Hogwarts, and one of the students is missing! You get to choose someone to be, and go through the school looking for clues.

The game is played in much the same way as regular Clue, but with a few fun Harry Potter twists. If your kids like Clue and Harry Potter, I think this game will be a big hit with them!


I was provided with Clue: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Edition free from Hasbro, for purposes of this review. No other compensation was given, all opinions are my own.

CSN Stores: GIVEAWAY!

Our 4-year-old, Sydney, is allergic to red food dye. It is so severe that one time when her preschool teacher made Sydney's footprints on a piece of paper with red paint that she had a reaction. Now Sydney does not use red paint unless she is using a paintbrush.

Then a couple of weeks ago, she came home from school with red marker on her hands. She had been tracing her hands for a picture, and some of the (washable) marker got on her skin. Later that day, of course, she had a huge meltdown of the dye variety.

So right away I decided that I had to find her some natural markers, if any existed. Lucky for me, I found some online. Even luckier, CSN Stores carry them! CSN Stores are a group of online stores that have over a million products, from baby equipment to shoes to lighting and rugs. And luckiest of all, I was in the process of doing a review of their stores for this blog.

So I quickly ordered some Clementine natural art products for Sydney to try. The prices were great--lower than at another large online retailer you might know. Many items from CSN ship for free, or shipping is free once you spend a certain amount. The items I ordered came very quickly, even earlier than I was told when I placed my order. I was very happy with the speed and variety of products offered by CSN.

Sydney liked the markers and crayon rocks I ordered for her. There were only four colors of markers, but they were bold and colorful. The crayon rocks were fun, and came in a package of nine different colors. Hopefully now she can trace her little hands without having a problem!


If you would like to win a set of Clementine natural markers and crayon rocks, leave a comment telling me who you would give them to. Make sure you leave your email address if it's not linked to your profile, U.S. addresses only, please. Contest will end next Thursday, 5/19.

I was provided with a gift card to facilitate this review and giveaway. All opinions are my own.

Goal for it! REVIEW

There are several different chore charts online to help your kids become more responsible. But what about Mom? I don't know about you, but I NEED my lists of tasks each day if I am going to get anything done. That's what makes Goal For It! different.

Besides behavior charts and chore charts for kids, there are tools that allow anyone (even parents) to make and track daily to-do lists. I especially love the goal setting section. I set myself a blogging goal and was able to list different steps I will take to reach my goal. Then I can go back and keep track of my progress. I can even have the site email me reminders (could be necessary).

When you sign up, you create a profile and you have the option to make your goals private, public, or for your friends to see. This could be great if you are working on a project with others and need to keep track of what's been done.

As you create to-do lists, there are many icons already made for you to choose between, from health items to chores to fun things. There is also a way to custom-label an icon if the task you need to remember isn't listed.

Take a look at Goal For It! if you are, like me, unorganized when it comes to daily tasks or if you need a little nudge toward your goals and dreams.

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Jake the Pig series: REVIEW

Recently, Rich and I have had a few incidents with the girls where we are realizing that we need to be more pro-active with teaching them about finances.

Audrey and Georgia often seem to understand money pretty well. They have both saved their allowances for months for big purchases, and don't usually waste their money on candy or junky toys. Sydney (almost 4), is just getting to the age where she is starting to understand money. She especially likes to play "store" at her grandparents' house, where they will give her real money to use in her cash register, and then let her take it home when she's done!

There is a new series of books, written to help parents teach their children about financial responsibility. Jake Saves the Day teaches about the importance of saving, while Jake Earns a Treat teaches children the link between working at a job and earning money to buy something you want.

Sydney definitely doesn't understand either concept yet, so I was glad to read these books to her so we could begin to discuss money ideas. She seemed to enjoy them (I was asked to read each book twice in a row the first time she saw them). The main problem I had with them was that some of the rhymes seemed a bit forced. But I definitely think that teaching kids about finances and how to use money wisely is important. These books are a good way to open up the conversation with younger children in a way they can understand.


I was provided with a free copy of Jake Saves the Day and Jake Earns a Treat to facilitate my review. I was not otherwise compensated for my review. All opinions are my own or those of my children.

Weird Sports: REVIEW

What do extreme ironing, toilet racing, and cheese rolling have in common?

They are all actual activities that actual people partake in!

The girls and I have been enjoying a new book, Weird Sports, by Michael Teitelbaum from Beach Ball Books. It is full of full-color photographs of people playing strange sports and participating in off-the-wall games. Georgia (first grade) had some belly laughs when she read about elephant soccer, and Sydney (almost 4) loved looking at the pictures of the toilet and bed racing.

This book is a fun, fast read. The layout of the book is exciting, with lots of photos and short text passages that describe each sport or game. The quotes from real players of the games add an extra layer of "wow" to the stories. My girls really enjoyed it!


I was provided a free copy of Weird Sports to facilitate my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, or those of my children.

Norah Jones Review

I have always been a music lover. My parents sang to me all the time when I was a kid, and I was involved in choir and drama club in high school, as well as taking voice, piano, and violin lessons. I loved all kinds of different styles of music.

And then I had kids.

Now, I still listen to a lot of music, but it is usually kid music that I turn to in an effort to minimize fighting in the car.

Recently, I decided that I needed to broaden my repertoire again, so I was glad when One to One Network asked if I wanted to try out Norah Jones' new album, "...Featuring Norah Jones."

This album is comprised of tracks recorded throughout Jones' career, and each track is a duet with a different famous vocalist. The songs span all kinds of styles of music. While I didn't enjoy all of the songs (I'm not a fan of rap music), it was amazing to hear Norah Jones' vocal ability in so many different genres.

Disclosure: As a member of One to One Network, I was provided with a free copy of this album to review. By posting this review, I am entering a contest to win a gift card.

Guess Who? Mix 'n Match: REVIEW

One of my girls' favorite things to do, either together or with me, is play games. Rich and I also love to play games, and have quite an assortment of board and card games that we often play after the little ones are asleep.

Audrey, in particular, has loved the game Guess Who? since she was about two. My in-laws still have the old set, and she used to love to flip the funny faces up and down and make her grandma tell her all their names.

Hasbro has come up with a new twist on Guess Who? called Guess Who? Mix 'n Match and they offered to let us try it out.

All three of the girls (ages 8, 6, and 3) were intrigued by the game when we first opened it up. It consists of fifteen different characters, each of whom has been split into three parts (forehead, eyes, and nose/mouth). Players choose one of each part and then ask the other players yes/no questions to try and figure out which pieces make up their character. The game is labeled for ages 8 and up.

Audrey (8) absolutely loves this game, as I thought she might. The characters are not drawn in a babyish way (something she is always concerned about), so it is appealing to older kids. There are animals, people, and monsters, so both girls and boys should be happy playing. Audrey likes the game so much that she is already planning on getting it for her friend's birthday in a couple of months.

Georgia (6) also likes to play, but is definitely just barely old enough to play independently. She can read, which is not absolutely essential to gameplay, but is helpful.

Sydney (3) can never be left out of anything. But she can enjoy this game, too, although not with her sisters. We play with the cards face-up, and she has to try to put together each face the "right" way. She has played it numerous times, and really likes it.

I think that this game is a great way for kids to practice logic as they narrow down the options for their character. I wish the stands used to hold the cards were sturdier; they are made of cardboard and have to be disassembled after each game. Other than that minor complaint, I think it's a fun game that parents can enjoy playing with their kids.

And a great time to play with the kids would be on National Family Game Night, sponsored by Hasbro, on September 29.

Find Hasbro on Facebook: www.facebook.com/familygamenight or on Twitter @familygamenight for more updates on the latest games.

I was provided the game Guess Who? Mix 'n Mash by Hasbro free to try out. My opinions are my own, and I was not compensated in any other way for this post.